I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to wall mounted electrical plug sockets, and more particularly to an electrical outlet cover plate attachment for retaining the plug within the socket when pulling forces are exerted against the plug.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Electrical socket outlets are well known to provide access to the main power supply of a building. Such outlets are often mounted in a hole formed in a building wall. Once the electrical socket housing has been mounted in the wall, a cover plate is typically secured over the opening so that only the access apertures in the socket face are exposed on the outside of the wall. For example, the cover plate includes an aperture adapted to register with the socket face. Typically, a mounting hole registers with a threaded bore in the electrical housing so that a mounting bolt inserted therethrough mounts the plate over the housing, whereby the edges of the cover plate engage a peripheral wall portion surrounding the hole in the wall. As a result, the previously known cover plate provides a finished appearance to the electrical outlet housing, and prevents exposure of the electrical components within the housing, although a particularly configured plug adapted to be inserted within the access openings of the sockets can be engaged therein.
While the previously known electrical socket outlets permit electrically operated appliances to be operated by merely plugging an appropriate plug into the socket openings, the plug can be easily removed from the socket as well. Thus, when the electrical cord extending between the plug and the appliance is pulled as the appliance is moved away from a wall outlet, the tension in the cord can easily displace the plug from its secure connection within the socket. Although there have been some previously known devices for maintaining the plug in its inserted position in the socket against inadvertant removal, the previously known retainers require extensive modifications to or specialized constructions of the plug, the socket or even the cover plate mounted over the electrical outlet.
A previously known retaining means preventing inadvertant removal of a plug from the socket is shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 2,179,197 to Raymond. Raymond discloses a cover plate having a cross bar extending across the sockets adapted to be received in specially configured recesses in each plug. As a result, such an electrical outlet is not well adapted to receive or retain a conventional plug. As a result, the plug on each appliance must be modified or a special extension cord must be used in conjunction with the cord extending from the appliance in order to utilize such an electrical outlet. Moreover, even though an extension cord would be prevented from being pulled out of the socket, the connection between the plug on the appliance cord and the socket at the end of the extension cord is not retained against inadvertant removal.
Moreover, while there are known attachments for electrical outlet cover plates, none are well adapted to positively retain the plug within the socket as the electrical cord is pulled in the direction away from the electrical outlet. Moreover, while U.S. Pat. No. 4,335,863 to Rapps and U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,045 to Bodin disclose attachments for switch cover plates, such attachments protrude outwardly from the cover plate regardless of whether they are being used, and the references do not teach or suggest that the attachments are useful for retaining a plug in a wall mounted electrical socket.